The Story of a Three-Day Pass (1968). Photofest.
(La Permission, Melvin Van Peebles, France 1968, 87 min., DCP, English and French with subtitles)
Stationed in France, young American soldier Turner (Harry Baird) is given a promotion and three-day pass, which he decides to spend in Paris. His wanderings lead him to a nightclub, where he meets Miriam (Nicole Berger), a white French shop clerk, and a romance blossoms. They escape to the seaside, but as Turner’s pass nears its end, tensions rise and the consequences of an interracial romance tear the couple apart. Invited to France based on the strength of his short film work, director Melvin Van Peebles took up residence there as a writer, working for magazines and publishing four novels. He adapted his own French-language novel, La Permission, for this film, using ingenious techniques to reveal the character’s inner dialogue, and collaborating on the score with Mickey Baker.